Grand Betrayal
by Trinity-33
Summary: After Haruko leaves, Naota is left with a void in his life. Eri Ninamori wants to fill that void. NaotaNinamori
1. Chapter One

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Fooly Cooly or its characters.  
  
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Nothing amazing ever happens here. It's the same old thing, day after day. About a year ago something big happened, but inside a month, was finished and flew away on a yellow Vespa. That was a year ago, and I'm now in seventh grade. I still think about her...occasionally. I like to think I've matured since then, you know, but I can't help but shake the feeling that she'd return someday. I really hope not.  
  
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Title: Grand Betrayal  
  
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Ninamori looked at me.  
  
"Hey you're drinking sour again today," she said pointing at the can in my hand.  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"I thought you stopped drinking that stuff."  
  
"I did," I said, taking a big swig of the sour cola.  
  
"Well, what makes today different?" she said poking the can every so slightly making the can tip and spill pop all over my face."  
  
I coughed and rubbed my sleeve against my chin, vigorously trying to remove the stinging liquid.  
  
"I just feel like it, okay!"  
  
She tilted her head, "It's because of her, isn't it?"  
  
"Who?" I said, pretending not to know.  
  
"She made you drink the sour, didn't she? You started drinking the stuff after she left. Are you thinking about her again? Is that why you've started again?"  
  
"You make it sound like I'm an addict."  
  
"Well, maybe you are. You're addicted to her."  
  
I turned my head away, "No I'm not."  
  
"Ta-kun, don't lie."  
  
She grabbed my hand.  
  
"I don't care if you still like her. It's not like she's coming back," she said in that forceful yet caring way of hers.  
  
She laid her head on my shoulder. I sighed. I hoped to God that's all that it meant.  
  
***FlashBack***  
  
It was the first day of school. We were getting our class assignments, and I saw Ninamori. We hadn't talked much during the break. In fact, I kind of closed myself off from the rest of Mabase after Haruko left. I guess I was in denial. Denial that she had left; denial that I said I loved her...  
  
Ninamori continued to walk closer. Her composure ever calm; her lengthening purple hair rocked gently behind her with every step she took. She raised the first two fingers of her left hand near her face. In between the long graceful fingers was a rectangular slip of paper. It read:  
  
Class 1-B  
  
I glanced at the already crumpled slip of paper in my hands. She and I would be in the same class again.  
  
Ninamori leaned forward to come eye to eye with me. She was awfully close, and it made me nervous. I didn't know why.  
  
"You haven't grown at all, Naota."  
  
I could feel my face grow redder and my eyebrows furrow. I haven't seen the girl all summer and the first thing she says to me is "You're short, Naota." Well, she hasn't changed much either, being rude to me like that. I don't know why I have to---  
  
Ninamori very suddenly took her hands from off her knees and wrapped them around me. She buried her head into my shoulder and brushed her lips on my cheek in the process. I didn't know if it was an accident or a real kiss, but either way I was both shocked and glad for her affection.  
  
"I missed you too."  
  
***EndFlashBack***  
  
That's how it all began--me and Eri's relationship, I mean.  
  
Eri. I never used to call her that. She always called me Naota, but I never called her by her first name. I still call her Ninamori now and then. I'm not sure why. I guess I'm just used to calling her that. But it doesn't matter; she doesn't care. As long as I have her, I'll be fine. But these revived thoughts of Haruko threaten to screw us up.  
  
'Why is she suddenly on my mind?' I wonder as I gaze up from Eri's embrace toward the gray sky above. There is a sparkling red dot that's been hovering above the river for a couple of days now, and it worries me.  
  
I let my thoughts dissolve away and lose myself in Ninamori's arms. No use worrying about it. Ninamori's right: She's not coming back.  
  
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(_Y_)(_Y_)(_Y_)(_Y_)(_Y_)(_Y_)(_Y_)(_Y_)(_Y_)(_Y_)(_Y_)(_Y_)(_Y_)  
  
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A/N: If you're reading this, I'm happy. This is my first real romance- based fic. Maybe some romance-angst in store later... As I'm sure you can tell by the end. (!  
  
Tell me what you think. What you like, possible improvements, or what you would like to/think might happen.  
  
Is it just me or does Ninamori sound a little like Mamimi in the beginning about the sour thing? Sorry, guys. Also, pretend like Haruko inspired Naota to drink sour. I know that's more of a Mamimi thing too, but it worked at the time and I don't want to change it.  
  
Updates might be kind of slow for this one. Only because I'm going to China for three weeks and it comes third in my fanfiction hierarchy. 1st is my main (InuYasha) fic, Strange Interlude. Then it's Miroku's Mask. (Also InuYasha) Read 'em if you haven't already.  
  
That's it for today's Author Talk. Again, thanks for reading and always, please review.  
  
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	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I do not own Fooly Cooly.  
  
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Grand Betrayal  
  
Chapter 2  
  
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"Naota-kun, you're late for dinner."  
  
I came down the steps and looked toward the closed off dining room and stopped expectantly.  
  
The paper door to the dining room slid open, and the head of my father appeared. He continued to speak, but I didn't hear what he said.  
  
I only stared at him and casually walked inside. On the table sat a plate of peppered beef and next to it, a box of instant ramen. I sat down and sighed, knowing that that was all my dad could cook.  
  
I grabbed my bowl of rice and chopsticks and began to eat. My head automatically turned to my left, to the empty place at the end of the table...where Haruko used to sit...  
  
I suddenly realized what I was doing and mentally slapped myself. I craned my neck toward the ceiling in hopes that if I stared at those white tiles long enough, I would stop thinking about her.  
  
"Hey, Naota," my dad called. These were the first words I could actually hear him say, but still I did not acknowledge them.  
  
"What's that reddish-purple mark on your neck?" my father asked, pointing his rice-covered chopsticks.  
  
Shocked that I was stupid enough to expose Eri's bite, I clamped both hands over the spot on my neck and glared evilly at my father.  
  
"Is it a rash, Naota-kun?" he asked, obviously pretending to be blissfully unaware.  
  
"Looks like a hickey," my ever-to-the-point grandfather pointed out. He gummed his food noisily, and it became his turn to be stared at.  
  
"It's nothing," I said, looking into my half-eaten bowl.  
  
"My son?! Fooly-Cooly-ing again?!"  
  
Just then I nearly exploded.  
  
"That's enough! I yelled. "Can't you just leave me alone?!"  
  
I ran out of the room and plowed into mine. Running into the bathroom, I turned on the sink and began to rub furiously at the foreboding mark. This only made it redder, which made me more frustrated, and that only made me rub harder...  
  
***Flash Back***  
  
"Today, class, is your first day of Junior High. Congratulate yourselves for getting this far. I'm your teacher, Mr. Itoki, and I teach Physics..."  
  
It was the first day in my new school. I was sitting in my new desk, in the front row, wearing my new uniform, with all my new classmates, and my new teacher was introducing himself.  
  
A lot to look at, he was about 6ft tall, and I would guess about 300lbs. He looked like he was in his mid-thirties, but he was already going bald.  
  
"You will be meeting your other teachers momentarily. They are all very capable individuals, and you will learn a lot from them this term.  
  
"Now, because this is only the first day of school, I can't very well introduce you to new material, so we'll go over the rules and regulations here at Mabase #2 Junior High School.  
  
"First..."  
  
He then began a very boring lecture about the school policies. I could already tell I wasn't going to like this class. This man sounded like he could put a clock to sleep.  
  
"...dress code is strictly enforced and anyone outside of its regulation will..."  
  
This guy's really weird looking, I thought. He had a rather long face and a fat neck. His chin was almost non-existent. It looked as if his chin was merely part of the folds in his neck. The only time you could really tell he even had a chin was in-between sentences when he took a breath. Then it would suddenly jut out from its hiding place only to go hide again one half of a second later.  
  
He flared his nostrils too---but that was more sporadic. I wasn't sure I liked this man; his eyebrows twitched.  
  
"...so on weekends twitchflarechintwitch, twitchchinflaretwitchtwitchtwitch think about it..."  
  
They were really long and bushy. And they didn't match his hair color, which was a faded orange. They were a deep black. I guess they made him look manly.  
  
I rubbed at mine and wondered if they would grow in like his.  
  
As soon as my brain uttered that thought, Mr. Itoki averted his eyes from scanning the class to stare directly into mine. His eyebrows twitched.  
  
Ashamed, I looked away.  
  
No other did I turn to than Eri Ninamori, who was sitting exactly two rows to the right of me.  
  
She stopped writing to look up at me. Her lips turned slightly upward and she smiled. My mouth fumbled a deformed smile of its own. Then she turned her attention back to her paper. I turned back to the front and slumped further down into my chair.  
  
I already wanted this day to be over.  
  
***End Flashback***  
  
I climbed into bed and covered my head with my comforter. My last thoughts before crossing into the world of sleep last night were of her.  
  
%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^ %^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^%^  
  
A/N: oh, I can't believe it's been like three months. Well, I'm back from China and am loaded down with homework among other things. Sorry, this took so long! I'm even more worried about the peeps waiting for Strange Interlude.they might be mad...  
  
The only reason this is even being posted is because I typed it in China and emailed it to myself. And this chapter was going to be twice this size. But this looks like a good stopping place so now because next chapter I switch perspectives.  
  
Well, until then! Whenever that may be...Please do not be angry!  
  
Also, I will facilitate any questions (this fic, China, or otherwise) if you have them!  
  
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